Remnants of a Forgotten Past
by Crystal Dragon's Lament
Summary: During the final battle, Eragon is bested by Galbatorix and in order to save him, Saphira encases them both in crystal, safe from the ravages of time. When the spell finally breaks, Eragon wakes to find himself in the presence of a modern day wizard.
1. A Dark Beginning to a Darker End

Title: Remnants of a Forgotten Past

Rating: T (may change later)

Series: Inheritance Cycle/Dresden Files

Summary: During the final battle, Eragon is bested by Galbatorix and in order to save him, Saphira uses her magic to encase them both in crystal, safe from the ravages of time and hidden from those who seek them. When the spell finally breaks, the Dragon Rider wakes to find himself in the presence of a modern day wizard. Inheritance Cycle/Dresden Files crossover. Spoilers for Dresden Files. Post-Turn Coat.

A/N: So the idea for this story was spontaneous and random and it took me about an hour to write the prologue. I promise the chapters will be longer in the future. Chapters, and sometimes within the chapters, will switch between Eragon and Dresden's POV. WARNING! There are spoilers in here, especially of the latest book, Changes. If you haven't read it yet, Read No Further! If you have or you don't care, please continue and sorry for the interruption.

Prologue: A Dark Beginning to a Darker End

Eragon surveyed the army below him, evaluating their chances of victory in his head. He now had at his disposal the combined forces of Surda, the Urgals, the Elves, the Dwarves and, of course, the Varden. It was a massive army, filled with skilled fighters and brave souls, but he feared even that may not be enough, for their enemy was powerful beyond all imagining. The tense feeling of anticipation mixed with fear permeated the air above the army as they prepared to face the might of Galbatorix's forces. The King's army consisted of dark spirits and men, as well as several other unsavoury creatures, their minds bent and twisted to the will of Galbatorix. Then there was Murtagh, Eragon's half brother and another dragon rider, though he was enslaved to the King. However, the King himself would prove to be the most formidable opponent. The army preparing to face them knew their chances were slim but they had run out of time. It was now or never.

The farm boy turned Dragon Rider sat atop his dragon, Saphira, and placed a hand against the cool blue scales of her neck. _"Do you think we have a chance?"_ he asked her silently, their minds intertwined as one.

"_I think we are doing what has to be done, young one,"_ she replied, her voice soothing the doubts of his mind. _"I know it seems bleak, but have hope; we are not alone. Our friends and comrades stand with us. The courage we gain from each others presence gives us an advantage that twisted king will never have."_ He smiled, knowing she was right. As long as they remained united, their strength was multiplied a thousand fold.

Overhead, the sound of rushing wings heralded the arrival of the newest Rider. Both Eragon and Saphira turned their gazes skyward and watched as a dragon of shimmering green set down beside them. Astride this dragon was the elf Arya. Her black hair fell past her pointed ears, framing her face and making Eragon remember the love he felt for her. He was nineteen now, and she over one hundred, but the age no longer mattered to either of them. Her dragon, Mytcaesin, had hatched for her about a year ago after they had stolen it from Galbatorix. After he had hatched, the young dragon had immediately formed a bond with Saphira. As the two dragons grew closer, so had their riders. In the past, Arya had denied Eragon's advances and he had no doubt it was the bond between their dragons that was drawing them closer. As time passed, he believed that her feelings towards him had become genuine. Either way, he was happy to have her in his life.

"The fight is almost upon us," she told him in the ancient language. As a boy, he had never even heard of the language. Now, through countless days spent studying it under the supervision of both Brom and Oromis, he was fluent in it.

"This will be the final battle," he told her in the same tongue. "I intend to make sure of it."

"_I feel a sense of foreboding,"_ Mytcaesin said suddenly. Arya's dragon was known to have a little of the sixth sense, but Eragon brushed it off.

"It's just the feeling of the approaching battle," he said.

"_Are the eggs safe?"_ Saphira asked her mate. Recently, the two had mated and Saphira had lain several eggs, each awaiting a rider to bond with. Eragon had shared in Saphira's joy when she became a mother as Arya had no doubt shared in Mytcaesin's elation.

"_Yes,"_ he replied proudly. _"They are well protected."_

Soft footsteps on the rocks behind them drew their attention. They were approached by Nasuada, Orik, Islanzadi, Nar Garzhvog, and King Orrin. Between the nine of them, all the races under their alliance were represented.

"It is time," Nasuada said softly. Eragon looked at each of those present and knew that most of their hopes rested on him. He only hoped that he could live up to their expectations. He looked away towards the horizon and saw the approaching army along with two silhouettes in the sky, all growing steadily closer.

"_Let us show them the might they stand against,"_ Saphira growled savagely before opening her maw, spewing a jet of flames and roaring her vicious intent for all to hear. Mytcaesin joined in her war cry as did the Urgals, the Kull, and most of the others gathered.

Unsheathing his sword, Brisingr, Eragon held it aloft and let the flames dance along the gleaming blue blade. "For the freedom of Alagaesia!" he bellowed as he and Saphira launched themselves off the rock, closely followed by Mytcaesin and Arya. The others rode down on horses except for the Kull who easily kept pace with his mounted comrades.

Eragon headed straight for Galbatorix, not wasting his time. Right now he was at his top strength, and he would need it all in the fight against the King. However, a quick victory was not to be. He was met almost immediately with a wall of sorcerers and he felt them try to break through the shield he kept around his mind. He could feel Saphira adding her strength to his own as her powerful wings moved them through the sky.

Turning his attention from the black dragon rider, Eragon scanned the ground below, looking for the source of the mental assault. He found them quickly, surrounded by foot soldiers near the edge of the battle, trying to keep as far out of harms way as possible. The foot soldiers were all armed with bows and they fired at him instantly upon seeing him. With minimal effort, Eragon stopped their arrows, set them ablaze, and sent them flying back. He heard anguished screams as soldiers began to fall.

Without having to be told, Saphira dived towards the sorcerers before setting them ablaze with a stream of fire. A stray soldier who had escaped both Eragon's and Saphira's attack fired an arrow with deadly accuracy, but it bounced harmlessly off the wards he had set on himself. Eragon quickly dispatched him with Brisingr.

He noticed a flash of green in the distance as Arya began to use her magic. Looking closer, he noticed she was fighting Murtagh and he felt his heart wrench. There was the woman he loved and his last blood relative fighting to the death, neither willing to give in. He would have given anything for Murtagh to join the Varden, but he knew Galbatorix had him in an unbreakable grip; he knew Murtagh's true name.

They had fought twice before. The first time, Murtagh had found a loop hole that had allowed him to walk away without ending Eragon's life. Murtagh could be cruel at times, but he wasn't evil, nor could he help the way he was. He had been raised in Galbatorix's castle by Morzan, the first of the foresworn. With a childhood like that, it was a miracle that Murtagh had any conscious left at all.

"_Eragon!"_ Islanzadi's voice cut through his thoughts and brought him back to the fight. He realized with dismay that he had been more distracted then he realized. Galbatorix was nearly upon him. Saphira roared and bared her fangs at the twisted black dragon that approached them. This creature was an abomination, its mind twisted beyond recognition.

With surprising speed, Shruikan lunged forwards and sank his claws into the arms and legs of Saphira. She bellowed in pain before snaking her head forwards to try and attack the black dragon's neck.

"I've been wanting to meet you, boy," Galbatorix said to Eragon, his voice twisted with madness. "You have been a nuisance," he continued. "Why do you not join me? You would be treated as a lord. You would have power beyond your wildest dreams." Pausing, he turned his gaze briefly to the red rider. "You would be reunited with your brother."

Their dragons still writhing beneath them, the two riders were slowly falling towards the ground. "I would sooner die than serve you, Galbatorix," Eragon retorted, his voice dripping with scorn.

The King's eyes flashed with fury at Eragon's words. "Then die!" he screamed. Eragon was hit with a spell powered by countless Eldunari, a spell with more power then anything he had ever been able to achieve. The force of the spell threw him from his saddle on Saphira's back, drained all his wards, and began to tear at his flesh.

"_No!"_ Saphira screamed. She wrenched herself from Shruikan's grasp and flung herself towards her falling rider.

Eragon could feel the spell taking its toll on him, slowly draining him of life. If the spell didn't kill him, the impact that was coming from the fall probably would. Sadly, he realized he had let everyone down. They had all been counting on him to save the day, to overthrow the Mad King and free Alagaesia from his oppression. Instead, he had let himself become distracted and made an easy target of himself. The pain was starting to reach his shocked brain now and the sensation of the spell tearing him apart slowly was excruciating. One of the biggest regrets he had was that he wouldn't be there to see his cousin's child grow. He felt Galbatorix prepare a final spell.

Then he felt cool claws and scales enfold him and his vision was filled with a brilliant blue. His descent slowed but he hardly registered it, being barely conscious. There was a rush of wind as Saphira enfolded them within her wings and he felt something hard begin to surround them. He sensed an immense power pouring from the blue dragon. It was one of the last things he felt. Sweet oblivion slowly enfolded his mind in its dark embrace.


	2. The Past Returned

A/N: Ahahaha, I'm done! I finished it! Finally! I have, quite literally, been working on this every day since I posted the prologue. For some reason beyond my understanding it was nearly impossible to write the first half of this. The second half, however, I wrote in one night. (looks at the clock) Good freakin lord it's 7:30 in the morning. Sleep? What is this sleep of which you speak?

_Chapter One: The Past Returned_

There were some days I really regretted getting out of bed. Today just happened to be one of those days.

It was winter in Chicago now and we were in the middle of a cold snap, making me keep the fireplace going all night. It was times like these I wish I had electrical heating. Or gas heating. Or any heating really. We wizards don't get along with technology though, so in the end, it was useless complaining.

I guess the fireplace must have gone out at some time during the night because I woke up with both my cat and my dog draped across me. Mouse, my big shaggy Dogosaurus, had made himself at home on my legs, keeping them warm and cutting off the blood circulation all in one go. As for Mister, the largest cat Chicago had ever seen, he was currently napping on my chest. That would explain why it was a little difficult to breathe and also why I was so warm.

With a grunt of effort, I shifted Mister off my chest. Don't get me wrong, I'm no pushover, but as I said, my grey tom was the largest cat you'll ever see, and I'm not one for exaggeration. Well, fine, I've been known to exaggerate in the past, but I'm being serious this time. Mouse politely shifted his weight so I could pull my legs out from under him. As soon as I was free, he promptly collapsed back in to the same position.

"Don't strain yourself," I mumble and he huffed at me in return. I rolled my eyes and headed for the shower. My furry companions had kept me warm during the night, a little too much so. Even out from under both of them and the blankets I was still feeling the heat. A cool shower would be nice, considering that was the only kind I could have, what with my lack of a water heater and all. I was use to them by now.

I went in to the bathroom, stripped myself down, turned on the shower and hopped in. It took about five minutes of me standing there to realize that there was no water. Glaring menacingly at the shower head I fiddled with the taps a bit but nothing happened. Right about then I realized the pipes must have frozen. Now this weather was really starting to annoy me.

With a sigh I stepped back out of the shower and dressed, throwing on some clean clothes. I guess there was almost no chance of me having a shower today. I would go over to Micheal's house and ask to borrow his, but his wife, Charity, had been in one of her moods lately. I'd have to have Bob help me formulate a spell to keep the pipes unfrozen. Either way, today was shaping up to be a bad day.

I was heading over to the fireplace to start a new fire when the phone rang. I paused and glared at it for a moment, debating whether I wanted to answer it or not. The only people who ever called me were clients or Murphy. Knowing my luck, it would be the latter. Karrin Murphy was a police officer with the Chicago PD under the Special Investigations unit. They were a force within the CPD that investigated anything that couldn't be explained by any of the other forces. In reality, they were officers that had been dumped there, the dead end of the CPD. Most of the other officers in the department didn't really care one way or another about the investigators in SI. Because of their frequent ties with the supernatural, I was often called in as a consultant. I was mainly considered a hack among most of the officers in CPD, but Murphy was a friend, and I would help her out wherever I could.

However, at that moment, I was definitely not in the mood for this. Chances were I would be called in to look at some gruesome murder. I had finally gotten over the bloodbaths due to the wizards war with the vampires. Wherever there were vampires there was bound to be blood, and lots of it. That didn't change the fact that I would be called in to look at the dead body of another human being; no amount of war would ever completely harden me against that.

I sighed and went to answer the phone. If I ignored her, Murphy would probably just come and kick down my door and drag me out anyways. "Hello?" I grunted without much enthusiasm. Just because I would agree to help didn't mean I wouldn't complain about it.

She quickly rifled off an address. "We got a body, male, with a mysterious cause of death. How quickly can you get down here?" That was Murphy for you; no nonsense and straight down to business.

I definitely wasn't feeling up to dealing with a body today, but what was I gonna tell Murphy? No, sorry, I'm having a bad day. Try back tomorrow. She would kick my ass if I told her that. Besides, business had been slow lately and I needed the paycheck that would go along with this.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," I sighed. "Just give me a minute to grab some stuff." The line disconnected almost as soon as I finished speaking. From the background noise, it sounded like she was already at the crime scene so I guess she was getting back to examining the immediate area.

Walking around my small apartment, I began to gather my things. As I walked out the door, I gave a little shrug of my shoulders. Who knew? Perhaps this would be a nice, easy consult.

Yeah, and maybe they'd make me Merlin of the freakin White Council.

I pulled up to the house in my Blue Beetle that was no longer very blue to discover police tape and cop cars everywhere. Just at a glance, I could tell this would take a while. Putting my car in park, I sighed; there was no way I would be getting home quickly. With my equipment in my pockets, I clipped my CPD consultant ID to my Duster's lapel and got out of my car.

Flashing my badge to the officer guarding the perimeter, I ducked under the police tape and went inside. Murphy greeted me in the entryway with the same sour look she always wore. Her expression, as usual, clashed with her short stature, blonde hair, and button nose, though she still managed to be vastly intimidating. There were times I would rather face the whole Red Court of vampires than face down Murph.

I barely set foot in the door and opened my mouth to greet Murphy before the magic washed over me. It wasn't an attack or a defence. Hell, it wasn't even actively being cast. What I was feeling was the residual magic left over from the spell that had been used to kill whatever victim lay deeper within the house.

"Harry?" Murphy was looking at me with a slight expression of concern, though if you didn't know her well enough, you'd never see it.

"Yeah, sorry." I cleared my throat and continued on. "Well, I can already say he was killed by magic."

"You sure?" she asked, reasonably sceptical. Usually it took a good look at a body to say whether or not it was indeed magic. This time was different though.

"I'm sure," I told her. "I can feel it from here.

She looked at me a moment before nodding and heading deeper into the house. "He's this way."

We walked through the narrow hallways of the small house until we reached the master bedroom where the body was. If you could call it a body, that is. The form lying on the bed in front of me was only vaguely human in appearance. It had two legs, something that resembled a torso with two arms on either side and something like a head on top. That's where the similarities ended.

The skin was ripped and shredded where bits of muscle and bone poked through, all of which were blue and black where frostbite had taken its toll, freezing absolutely everything. What wasn't shattered was sunken and brittle, giving it a half mummified appearance. This effect was most apparent on its face. Its mouth was open in a silent scream, but it looked like the jaw bone had frozen and shattered as well, since the mouth hung open far wider than it should have been able to. Its hair was also frozen, sticking out at odd angles like small needles.

"So you said this is definitely magic?" Murphy asked from the doorway.

"Yeah," I said, turning away from the gruesome sight. "But I have no idea what could have done this."

"What about the winter fae?" she asked, a small frown on her face.

I shook my head. "No. The fae can't use magic like this outside of the Nevernever." I paused, regarding the body again briefly. "The thing is though that it feels like winter magic." I shook my head again. "As far as I know, no mortal being can wield winter magic to this extent beside the Winter Knight and he's currently a little preoccupied."

"I need more than that Harry, you know that."

I was about the respond when I once again felt the presence of magic. This time was different though. It was like a small sun exploding behind my eyes. The force of whatever this was suddenly left me short of breath and feeling weak. I swayed on my feet and had to lean against the wall for support. From what I could tell this wasn't the side effect of a spell being cast or anything like that. This felt more like the resurgence of a massive power. It felt different than anything I'd ever dealt with before.

When my head finally started to clear Murphy was standing in front of me. "Harry?" It sounded like it wasn't the first time she had said my name. "You sure you're okay?"

My mouth felt like cotton and it took a moment for me to be able to answer. "Yeah," I said finally. "Just a little tired."

She gave me a look that clearly said she didn't believe me but she didn't push the matter. "Do you think you'll be able to dig up anything more about who could have done this?"

"I'll look into it," I ensured her. I looked around the house a little, seeing if I could find any clues as to what had happened here but I couldn't find anything. Everything in the house, aside from the dead guy, seemed mundane. Deciding I could learn nothing more, I told Murphy I'd call her when I found something and headed for home. I had a splitting headache now, compliment of that burst of power. I had come to the conclusion that things couldn't get much worse for me today.

As soon as I walked in the door, after a good deal of pushing and shoving of the uncooperative door, my phone rang. Again. I groaned. Turned out things could get worse after all. Another phone call, no matter who it was from, couldn't be a good thing. Being a professional wizard, a police consultant, and a Warden, I didn't usually get normal phone calls.

Once again, I answered the phone rather unenthusiastically. This was starting to feel like deja vu. "Hello?"

"Dresden." It was Anastasia Luccio, captain of the Wardens, which meant I was right; no normal phone call for me.

"Hey, captain," I said. "Let me guess, you've got a difficult assignment for me that could possibly prove dangerous."

"What makes you say that?" she asked, neither confirming or denying my suspicions.

"Been that kind of day," I told her with a sigh.

"Well, you're right," she said, of course. "I take it you felt that wave of power a while ago?"

So I hadn't been the only one to feel that. "Yeah. Any idea what it was?"

"That's what you're going to find out for us. The power originated from somewhere in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We want you to go and investigate the source."

"Canada? What about the Warden stationed up there?" My area of responsibility was Chicago, not Canada.

"He is otherwise occupied," she responded. "Now, if you have a map, I'll give you the coordinates." It took me a moment of rummaging around to find a decent map. After Luccio finished giving me the coordinates she paused for a moment. "Be careful up there Harry," she said, a softer note in her voice. "We have no idea what that power was. It could be a trap set up by the Red Court."

"And we could be waltzing right into it," I finished. "Don't worry, I've got Mouse to watch my back." My dog looked up from where he was lying in the middle of the room and I could have sworn I heard Luccio chuckle before she disconnected.

Instead of heading out right away, I decided to do a little research on what this power could be first. I opened up the trap door in my floor and, throwing on a robe, walked down to the sub basement. With the unexpected low temperatures outside, it was even colder down here than usual.

Usually I had to poke and prod Bob awake, but this time he was waiting for me. "I was wondering when you were going to come down here."

I paused, somewhat shocked at the turn of events. "Well, this is a first."

Bob, ignoring my comment, as usual, continued speaking. "I assume you want to know about that power surge earlier?"

"Pretty good guess. Luccio wants me to go check it out but I'd like to hear anything you know about it first." Bob was acting a little different than usual. He didn't have any witty banter for me and so far hadn't tried to correct me on anything or try to convince me to get him the newest set of harlequin novels.

"I have no idea what it is," Bob said flatly.

That left me at a loss for words. Bob was a spirit of knowledge, and pretty much knew everything about everything. For him to not know something meant something really strange was going on. "What do you mean you 'have no idea'?"

"I mean in all the thousands of years I've been around I've never felt anything like this. This is either something that hasn't been seen since before even I existed or something new entirely."

Well that was comforting. When not even a knowledge spirit could give you help on something, you knew you were getting in over your head. And I, being the intelligent, well brought up person that I am, was going to go looking for it anyways.

"Why do I do this?" I grumbled, knowing I was going to regret this later.

"Because you don't know better and won't listen to reason?" Bob supplied.

"Let's go with that," I said as I turned around to leave.

"Be careful out there, Boss," Bob called after me. "It will suck to be stuck down here for who knows how many years if you die." Of course that was all he cared about.

I scribbled a quick note for Molly, telling her I would probably be gone for a few days and to not touch anything in my lab, grabbed my staff and blasting rod, donned my Warden's cloak and headed for the front door. "C'mon Mouse," I called. "Time to go have a little fun."

And by fun I meant wandering around for several hours trying to find the right Way to the Canadian Rockies. I still didn't understand why a Warden based closer to the immediate area wasn't assigned. There was no way every single Warden in Canada was busy.

Either way, I was here now after finding the proper Way, and I had come to realize something: I did not like the cold. If it had been cold in Chicago, here, it was downright freezing. I was immediately thankful for whatever extra warmth my Warden's cloak provided, though I knew it wasn't much.

"Let's get this over with before I freeze to death," I grumbled to Mouse. I looked over at my dog and suddenly felt slightly annoyed. Mouse was rolling around in the snow, almost like he was trying to make a snow angel. The cold didn't seem to bother him at all, which was completely unfair.

"Hey!" I said, getting Mouse's attention. "Can we continue?" Mouse looked up at me almost sheepishly before looking around. Right around then I became aware of the presence of that power. It was definitely coming from something around here but I couldn't get a good beat on it. Mouse, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine. He trotted forwards a few steps, stopped to look back at me, then continued on. Drawing my cloak a little closer, I followed.

This is exactly why I had brought Mouse with me. He seemed to be more tuned in to the supernatural world than even I was. I guess it had to do with him supposedly being the descendant of a supernatural being himself. If I were alone out here, I would probably be wandering around for days trying to find the source of this power. With Mouse, it hopefully shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Thankfully, Mouse proved me right. We hadn't been walking for more than twenty minutes when he lead me straight to a cave. It was a natural cave, as were most in this area, but this one seemed new. There were loose rocks and boulders littered around the entrance of the cave and none of them seemed to have been there long. Some sat so precariously that a simple gust of wind would probably topple it off its perch. I looked up as I heard several small rocks dislodge from the cliff face and tumble to the ground.

The entrance to the cave was partially blocked by the fallen boulders but they were fairly easy to climb over. Once I reached the mouth of the cave I took out my blasting rod and readied my shield bracelet; there was no telling what I was going to find in that cave. Looking into the cave I realized it was pitch black in there and I wouldn't be able to see a thing. Deciding that my shield bracelet should be enough, I tucked my blasting rod away in my pocket and held up my silver pentacle. With a small effort of will, the pentacle lit up enough so I could see my way without falling and breaking my neck.

Apparently this cave was larger than it appeared because as far as I could see the cave just stretched on and on. "Are you sure it's in here?" I asked Mouse.

He just looked at me, gave a small huff, and continued walking further into the cave. With a sigh, I followed him again.

As I walked, I could feel the presence of the power getting stronger. It was nothing like the explosion of power I had felt at the crime scene, but it was definitely from the same source. I listened as carefully as I could, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a massive cave. What little light was emanating from my pentacle wasn't strong enough to reach the other side of the cave or the roof. I forced a little more will into the amulet, making the light shine brighter, and found what I assumed to be the source of the power.

In the centre of the cave was a massive sapphire-blue crystal. It started on the ground, seeming to grow out of the stone, and rose in a pillar. Near the top was an almost orb-like structure. I had to crane my neck to see it properly, but it seemed as if there was something within the crystal.

I noticed then that there were cracks running all across the crystal. More cracks appeared as I looked on. It was almost like something was trying to break out.

With a deafening explosion, the crystal suddenly shattered, sending jagged shards flying through the air. I quickly ducked down and activated my shield bracelet, protecting myself and Mouse from the pieces of flying death soaring through the air. Something landed heavily on the ground somewhere in the cave, causing the ground to shake.

After the dust had settled and crystals had stopped flying around, I lowered my shield bracelet to take a look around. I hadn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. In the centre of the cave where the giant crystal had been was a boy. He couldn't have been more than twenty years old and I swear his features were like something you would find in a fantasy movie, right down to the pointed ears. He had dark hair, was dressed like someone from a medieval fair and had a sword at his hip. I also noticed that his clothing was torn and bloodied. There was blood caked to the side of his face and on nearly every visible patch of skin.

What caught my attention the most was the giant blue beast lying on the ground behind him. It didn't move and in the dim light it was hard to see anything in clear detail, but I could see enough to make out what it was. I could see bright blue scales, a long neck and tail, massive wings and ivory spikes and horns.

It was a dragon.


	3. A Stranger to These Lands

A/N: Wow, I didn't realize how popular this story would be. I pretty much wrote it on a whim and expected no one to read it, and yet it's become one of my most popular stories. Thank you! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, or put this story on alert. You're all awesome.

Anyways, back to the chapter. Whenever Eragon uses magic, or speaks in the ancient language at all, I'll translate what he says at the bottom of the chapter. Also, sorry this took so long. I hate writers block! I hate it! I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it...

_Chapter Two: A Stranger To These Lands_

When Eragon awoke, all that met him was darkness. He could feel the cold of stone and frost seeping through his clothing to his skin and the only sounds he could hear were that of a snapping fire and his own breathing. It was then that he realized he felt warmth off to one side, but he couldn't tell which side. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to see where he was. Everything was so disorienting.

Realizing he was slowly starting to panic, he attempted to regulate his breathing and slow the beating of his heart down to a more appropriate level for a... a what? He could feel his body calming down but the haze still hadn't lifted from his mind. There was so much he didn't understand right then; where he was, what he was, if anyone else was there, if anyone else was supposed to be there, what had happened...

Feeling the panic set in again, Eragon calmed his thoughts and decided to take things one step at a time. First he would work on at least orienting himself. He could take everything else from there. He concentrated on his body and the sensations it was sending him. The cold, hard stone was pressing against his back, the chill seeping into his bones. Eragon didn't know where he was exactly but he knew he was lying on the ground. He noticed a slight weight on top of his body, seeming to enfold him and give him some measure of warmth, so he guessed someone had placed something over his body. His left side felt slightly warmer than his right, and he finally pinpointed the sounds of the fire coming from his left. He couldn't feel any immediate pain, but he hadn't moved since awakening so it was hard to tell.

Only after all of this did he attempt to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the light of the fire, which immediately sent a spike of pain through his head. He exhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut again. So apparently he wasn't one hundred percent yet. A little ways off Eragon heard a rustling sound followed by footsteps, boots clacking against the stone floor. When the person finally neared Eragon, he opened his eyes again, this time prepared for the light and the pain it would bring.

The first thing Eragon noticed was that he was inside a giant cave. He could just barely see the ceiling, the dim light of the fire glinting off of veins of something running through the rock. The second thing he noticed was the older man standing over him. He couldn't quite place his age, but he guessed somewhere in his forties. The third thing he noticed was the bizarre way this man was dressed. He had never seen clothing like that before in his life. Not from the Humans, the Elves, the Dwarves, or even the Urgals.

"So you're finally awake," the older man said, kneeling down beside Eragon. "How're you feeling?"

Eragon tried to speak but his throat was too parched to say anything. He swallowed a few times until he was able to croak out a few words. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Somewhere in Canada in the Rocky Mountains. I'm not one hundred percent sure where, but it'll be a simple matter to find our way out." He sat down and gave Eragon a once-over. "How are you feeling?" he asked again.

"Like a band of Urgals used me for practice," he replied, raising a hand to his head. His muscles groaned in protest, but it felt more like they were stiff from non-use than from injury. The man had named a location that Eragon was not familiar with, but he figured it was just a regional name he hadn't heard of.

"Urgals?" the other man asked, but Eragon brushed off the question. There was a low buzzing in the back of his mind that was becoming more and more insistent, until it finally burst in a single word.

"_ERAGON!"_

Eragon jerked and sat upright in surprise. Looking around, he saw a massive blue beast and felt ashamed of even wondering where that voice had come from. "Saphira," he breathed.

A rumble emitted from low in her chest and the stranger flinched a bit at the sound. She was obviously happy, but the other man had no way of knowing that.

"_It is about time you woke up, sleepy head," _she said into his mind. _"And I don't appreciate being ignored."_

"_I'm sorry Saphira,"_ he apologized. _"My mind is still in a haze and I'm having trouble recalling exactly how I got here."_ Eragon glanced over at the man sitting on the ground, staring bewildered at Saphira. _"Do you know who this man is or why he is dressed so strangely?"_ he asked.

"_He spoke to me,"_ she replied, _"but I did not speak back. At least he was smart enough to address me properly and not as some dumb animal. He said his name was Harry Dresden and he asked what we were doing in the crystal."_

"_Crystal?"_ Eragon could recall nothing about a crystal. He hung his head in his hands._ "I am so confused."_

"Hey, are you guys talking to each other?" Dresden asked.

Realizing he was being rude, Eragon bowed his head in apology. "I am sorry. She was just trying to help me clear my mind. She says your name is Harry Dresden?"

"That's right," he confirmed. "So I take it is was right about her being intelligent?"

"You have no idea," he replied. Eragon raised his hand again but stopped before he reached his head. He finally noticed that it was caked in dried blood. It took him a moment to realize it was his blood.

Suddenly everything came rushing back to him; preparing the army for war, beginning the final battle, seeing Arya and Murtagh fighting in the distance, being so distracted that Galbatorix was able to take him by surprise, falling prey to the spell of the Mad King. But then what happened? Everything went blank after he began to fall.

"What happened to me?" he asked aloud, looking for answers from anyone who would oblige.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Dresden said seriously. "Truth is, I came here to investigate the source of a massive power, and I found you. So I need you to answer some questions for me."

"Questions?" Eragon's head was beginning to hurt. He should be dead, shouldn't he? Then why was he still alive?

"I'm a Warden of the White Council. I'm usually stationed in Chicago but it seems all the Wardens up here are busy right now."

"White Council? Warden? I don't understand what you're talking about." The pain in Eragon's head was beginning to increase.

"_When you fell off my back during that final battle, I did not know what to do. I thought you were dying."_ Saphira began speaking into his mind now, confusing him further.

"Where are you from? What kind of power do you poses? I've never felt power like yours before."

"_I went after you and instinct took over. Even I am not sure exactly what I did."_

"I've got to admit, I've never seen a dragon like that before. Or someone quite like you, either."

"_I felt my magic pour over the both of us and time began to slow."_

They continued to speak over each other, each trying to be heard. Eragon began to feel overwhelmed and his head felt like it was about to split open. Finally, he couldn't take any more.

"Maela!" he shouted, hands pressed against the sides of his head.

Suddenly Dresden found himself unable to speak and Saphira's voice fell silent as well. The older man looked as if he was beginning to panic at finding himself voiceless. Eragon waited for the pain in his head to die down before he released the spell holding his companions silent.

"I'm sorry," Eragon apologized. "I was feeling overwhelmed and I over reacted."

"What did you just do?" Dresden asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

Eragon turned to him with a strange look. "Magic," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Before Dresden could respond, Eragon turned to his dragon again. "Saphira, what happened after I fell?"

"_I went after you,"_ she replied. Now that it was only her trying to speak to him, he was able to think clearly. _"Galbatorix's spell was tearing you apart, and I reacted. I am not quite sure what I did. All I know is that I encased us both in crystal to keep us safe. It would seem my spell has finally worn off."_

Thinking back, Eragon remembered feeling something cold and hard beginning to encase his body before he lost consciousness. _"Where are we now?"_ he asked. Nothing about this place seemed familiar to him.

"_I am not sure,"_ she replied honestly. _"You know even I am not sure how my magic works. I believe the one called Dresden will have more answers for that than I do."_

Eragon was silent for a moment before asking _"Do you think we can trust him?"_

"_I have never met this man before,"_ she told him. _"But there is something... familiar about him. And he had a chance to harm us while we were unconscious but instead waited for us to awaken."_ She shook her head. _"As I said, there is something familiar about him. I say we trust him for now. If he betrays us or attempts to harm us, I can always eat him."_

He couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. Dresden gave him a questioning look but didn't say anything. "Well, Saphira believes we can trust you, and I find myself agreeing with her."

"Well that's good," Dresden replied. "I'd hate to get on the wrong side of a dragon who could probably eat me in a single bite."

"Yes, just what we were thinking." The older man paled at this but didn't say anything. Moving on as if the previous conversation had never happened, Eragon was finally able to ask some of the questions that were flying through his head. "You said before we were in Canada. I've never heard of it. What part of Alagaesia is it in?"

"Alagaesia?" he asked. "I've heard of a lot of places, but I've never heard of anywhere called Alagaesia. Canada is part of North America and north of the United States."

"I don't think I quite understand," Eragon said, rubbing his temples again. "You mean this isn't Alagaesia?"

"No," Dresden replied. He was becoming more serious, realizing something was off. "As I said, I've never heard of it."

Eragon was silent a moment, trying to sort things out. If this wasn't Alagaesia, where could it be? Could Saphira have taken them somewhere far from their country in an attempt to protect him? Then another thought occurred to him, one far more terrifying than the previous.

"How long were we in that crystal?" he asked aloud, hoping either one of them would answer.

"_I am not sure,"_ Saphira admitted after a moment, catching on to Eragon's thoughts.

"I have no idea," Dresden told him. "As I said, I was sent to investigate the source of a massive surge of power, and I found you here. I asked Bob, a knowledge spirit, if he knew anything about the power we all felt, but he said it was either something new or something older than him, and he's thousands of years old." Dresden finally realized what Eragon and Saphira were thinking. "Wait, are you saying you've been in there for thousands of years?"

"I don't know," Eragon said honestly. Reaching out with his mind, Eragon searched for something, anything, familiar. At first he could sense nothing at all, but slowly sparks of life lit up in his mind. He could sense Dresden and the surprisingly large amount of power he held; Saphira, whose mind was intertwined with his own; another powerful being, a dog of some sort, but like none he'd ever seen before, guarding the entrance to the cave; the fungus that grew on the rocks of the surrounding area; the few birds and animals who dared to brave the cold of the high mountain tops. He reached out as far as he could, but he could feel nothing familiar. Even the land itself, the very rock, felt foreign to him.

"We couldn't have been in there for thousands of years," he said, a hint of panic touching his voice. "It's not possible."

"_Eragon..."_ Saphira said sadly, realizing the truth of the situation.

"No!" he exclaimed loudly. He could feel the panic rising now, but he did nothing to try and quell it. "No, it's not possible," he said again, this time more forcefully. "If we were in there that long, it means we failed everyone, and that's not possible." He was shaking his head now. He leaned back against Saphira, having lost the strength to support himself.

"What are you talking about?" Dresden was starting to become concerned for the boy, who was obviously loosing hold of himself.

"We couldn't have failed them," he repeated, this time more quietly. Behind him, Saphira lowered her head in sadness. She had accepted the truth that Eragon was so desperate to deny. "We couldn't have."

"Kid, what are you talking about?" Dresden stood up and moved over to the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Eragon looked up at him and Dresden could see how lost the boy was; how guilt-ridden, terrified, and hopelessly lost.

The Dragon Rider hung his head in his hands as tears began to stream down his face. "I failed them."

-End Chapter-

Translations

Maela - Silence


	4. Decisions to be Made

A/N: A new chapter? What is this sorcery?! Yes, believe it or not, I'm actually alive and writing. I really do apologize for how long it's taken me to write this chapter. I actually haven't been writing much of anything recently. Just been that kind of year. However, I have a good chunk of the next chapter completely planned out so, if all goes according to plan, it shouldn't take too long to write. And sorry if the end feels a little rushed. Was having difficulty tying up a couple of things.

_Chapter Three: Decisions to be Made_

This was turning out to be far more than I'd bargained for. Sure, nothing had tried to kill me or eat me yet, which was a nice change, but I still had no idea what was going on. I had come here to the freezing mountain tops of Canada to find the source of an unknown power, and what I had found was a boy and his dragon. This had to be by far one of the stranger things I'd dealt with in a while.

Now the kid, Eragon he said his name was, and his dragon Saphira were sitting outside with Mouse, trying to sort things out. They had finally told me who and what they were, the story of their world, and their theory on how they had gotten here, but honestly I wasn't sure how much of it to believe. I mean, a world not too unlike our own medieval world, a mad tyrant as a king, dragon riders and honest-to-god elves, a war for the fate of the world? It sounded more like something out of a book. Maybe the kid was delusional or something and this was all some fantasy his mind had created for him.

I glanced over at the mouth of the tunnel, though I couldn't see it from where I sat at the fire. Despite how outlandish it sounded, something about the kid and the despair he felt about letting people down, something I could easily relate to, made me want to believe him. And how could I deny some of the facts staring me in the face here? I had found him frozen in a crystal in the middle of nowhere with a dragon, he didn't look like any human I'd even seen and he definitely seemed decidedly mortal, so that ruled out fae, and there was no denying the power the kid possessed. I had grabbed his hand earlier to help him to his feet and I had felt the tingle of magic on him. The feeling had been strange. It felt almost the same as the aura of any other practitioner I had met, and yet vastly different.

Sighing, I rubbed my temples, wishing I had had the sense to bring Bob with me. He had said earlier he had never felt anything like this, but who knew what he would say when he actually saw the two of them. Most likely, that surge of power had been the spell that was keeping them concealed wearing off and we could suddenly feel their presence again.

Now that I was thinking about it, I still had no idea what I was going to tell Luccio and the White Council. I mean, I couldn't see them doing anything to the kid, not if they didn't want to be eaten, but some of the people on the Council, especially the Merlin... Half the time I was willing to bet they would go as far as they had to to get the answers they wanted. And a wizard and a dragon showing up hundreds, possibly thousands of years after their time was something they were going to want answers to.

"_Still trying to sort everything out?"_ I almost jumped out of my skin as Saphira's voice invaded my thoughts. I was pretty sure I had a pretty good mental wall up against any invaders, but she was speaking to a spot I didn't even know was there. The magic she and Eragon used were almost completely alien to me. _"I am sorry to have startled you,"_ she apologized, but I was sure that if we weren't in such a sombre situation, her voice... er, thoughts, whatever, would have held a laughing quality.

"Yeah," I replied as she settled herself down beside me. I looked up but we were alone. I guess Mouse and the kid were still outside. "I'm not exactly used to kids and dragons popping out of crystals. But I can't imagine what it's like for you guys."

"_It is... difficult,"_ Saphira acknowledge, lowering her head onto the ground. _"But we will make it through this."_

I had no problem believing that. The strength of character with these two was amazing. I got the feeling that it wasn't so much that they were in a different time, a different place, with not much of an idea as to how they got there that was bothering them, but that they, or so they believed, had let down all those people who had been depending on them. It took a strong person to put others before their own personal problems.

"You seem pretty calm about this," I told her.

"_I am far older than I look, youngling. Even before I hatched from my egg, I was older than you."_ She raised her large scaled head then to gaze at the crystals studding the walls of the cave. _"I watched much pass from inside my shell, knowing I could do nothing until I hatched for my Rider. It is the same with this, even if we were unawares of the passing of time. There is nothing more we could have done."_

Saphira lowered her head again and faced me directly. I could feel the tug of a soulgaze beginning and I quickly averted my eyes; I did not want to see what a dragon's soul looked like. _"There is something that I learned long ago that Eragon has yet to understand. As a Dragon and Rider, it is our duty to protect the world. But the world that we protect may not be the one that we were born into. We must always strive to protect the world which we are in, no matter where that may be."_

I was at a loss for words now. I had come across quite a few creatures in my day, and most of them had been highly intelligent, to one point or another, but this was a whole new level. I guess I just wasn't used to getting advice from something large and scaly. "I guess I can't just hand you guys over to the White Council," I said finally.

"_This is not the first time you have mentioned the White Council. Who are they?"_

Hesitating for a moment, I rubbed my chin, realizing I needed to shave. We weren't really supposed to talk about the Council to outsiders. Sure, I had told Murph, but I trusted her more than anyone else on the planet, and she'd needed that knowledge to stay alive. Looking at Saphira, I realized that these guys did too. With the kid being a wizard of some sort or another, he had to know the ropes. I guess that started with telling his dragon.

"All wizards and magic users are governed by a group of people called the White Council. Being part of the Council basically means you're recognized as a full fledged wizard. They also have rules, laws, and the punishment for breaking those laws is almost universally death."

"_They sound like a very dangerous group,"_ Saphira observed.

"They are," I admitted. "But, for the most part, they follow their own rules and it keeps people in line. You can do some really nasty things with magic, but with the threat of the Wardens hanging over them, most people know better than to try."

"_The Wardens?"_

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. I kept forgetting she wouldn't know most of the terms applying to, well, anything modern. "They're the enforcers of the White Council's will, out there to make sure that people don't break the law and to hand out punishment when they do." After a moments thought I added, "That's actually who sent me up here. I'm a Warden of the White Council and everyone felt a huge surge of power a while ago and I was sent to check it out. And I found you guys."

"_I see,"_ Saphira said slowly, studying me with what I could tell now was intense scrutiny.

"Hey, don't worry," I said quickly, holding my hands up in what I hoped was a placating gesture. "I'm not big on the whole death as punishment thing. I'm not really big on the whole White Council."

"_You must do as you must,"_ she told me, rising as Eragon approached. He must not have been able to hear us as he didn't react to her next proclamation. _"But know this, Wizard Harry Dresden; if, by any of your actions, direct or indirect, you bring harm to Eragon, I shall hunt you down and exact my own punishment."_

My mouth suddenly felt like cotton; I completely believed she would live up to her promise. "Is everything all right here?" Eragon asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine," I told him. "We were just talking. I was thinking though," I said, standing up and stretching. "If you're from however many thousands of years ago, how is it that we speak the same language."

"It had crossed my mind," Eragon admitted. "It might be a residual effect of Saphira's spell, acting as a translator in my and Saphira's minds."

"_Even I do not know exactly how my magic works,"_ the blue dragon explained. _"What Eragon suggests is entirely possible."_

"Well that's an interesting theory," I said, dusting off my pants, "but I still need to figure out what to tell my bosses." It wasn't like I could say that it was nothing; the power had been enough to stagger me from how many hundreds of miles away? There was no way I could just explain it away; I needed to come up with an explanation to give them.

"The White Council?" Eragon asked with a knowing smile. "Saphira and I are mentally linked," he explained. "What one of us knows, so does the other."

"Yeah," I said after a moment. "The Council." I was trying to figure out if he had actually heard what Saphira had said to me. But I doubted it; the kid didn't seem like someone who would use threats against people he wasn't sure were enemies. Then again, I'd been wrong before.

"I had an idea about that as well," he said, reaching for his belt. "This is the belt of Beloth the Wise," he explained. "When you pull on this tassel here, it reveals twelve gems, which I have found very useful for storing power. May I suggest you show them this, and explain that the power was released from these diamonds?"

I took the belt from him and studied it for a moment. He was right; this would work perfectly. If I showed this to the Council and explained how it worked, they wouldn't question it. I would be able to keep Eragon and Saphira from them for a little while. Not that I knew what I was going to do with them. Assimilate them to modern life? Eragon might be doable, but Saphira would pose a problem. I don't think most people would take kindly to a large fire breathing lizard walking down the sidewalk. I still needed time to think.

"I can work with this," I told them, tossing the belt across my shoulder. "But I still have some things to figure out. I hate to do this, but will you guys be okay here for a little while?"

"_We will be fine,"_ Saphira said, nodding her head once slowly. _"My fire can keep us warm and I can hunt for food here."_

"Just make sure you aren't noticed," I cautioned. "I don't want to have to explain away dragons to the locals. Not that there will be many locals this high up the mountains," I conceded.

"_What is so wrong if we are noticed?"_ Saphira asked. _"If people see us, they would be overwhelmed by our magnificence."_

I was blown away for a moment. Who would have thought that dragons were vain? It took me a moment to actually form words. "People don't believe in dragons," I warned. "They don't know dragons and the fae and all the things that go bump in the night are real; they don't even know about magic! And they're happy that way. They don't have to deal with it this way, and it's easier for everyone."

They were both silent for a moment. "I see," Eragon said finally. "Well, this is your world, so I guess we follow your rules." I heard a hollowness in his voice that made me uneasy. He was dealing, but not well. We were playing a dangerous game now. At this point, it was fifty-fifty; he would either adapt and learn to fit in, or he would snap and, judging by the power I felt earlier, cause severe wide-spread destruction. I was hoping for the former.

"I'll be back in a day, two at the most," I told them. "I have some things to take care of. Not to mention I should probably find you someplace to stay other than the frozen slopes of a mountain."

"We've stayed in worse," Eragon replied with a wry smile. "We will wait here." I left with a nod, pretty sure I didn't want to know what other places they'd stayed.

Mouse was waiting for me at the mouth of the tunnel and we were back home in no time. I may have said before that Chicago was feeling a little chilly, but after being in the Canadian Rockies for a while, Chicago was feeling downright balmy. I took off my cloak and undid my duster, embracing the relative heat. I swear I saw Mouse roll his eyes at me.

Once we were back inside my basement apartment, I set to work. The first thing I did was call Luccio to set up a meet so I could tell her about the belt Eragon had given me. After that, I took the belt down to Bob so he could have a look at it. I didn't even bother putting on the robe that I normally wore in the sub-basement. Everything still felt nice and warm.

"Rise and shine," I called, prodding Bob awake. "Time to work." Bob came awake quite quickly, but considering last time he was already awake and waiting for me, I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was.

"What did you find?" he asked eagerly.

"You won't believe me," I said, and proceeded to tell him about Eragon, Saphira, and everything they had told me. Bob, for once, listened with rapt attention, not interrupting me once.

"This is phenomenal!" Bob pretty much shouted. "A being from who knows how many thousands of years ago showing up in our time, and we're the ones to discover him. And he looks like an honest-to-god elf!" Bob's skull was clattering on the shelf where I kept him to the point I was worried that either he would fall off or he would knock something else off the shelf. The lights in the empty sockets of his eyes shone brighter than I had even seen them. "Oh, you have to let me meet him, Harry. I have so many questions I want to ask him. And the dragon, too, of course."

"Well, I have some questions for you first, Bob," I said, leaning against the table in the middle of the room, careful not to disturb Little Chicago. "First off, is any of this even possible? How could they come from a time that no one has any memory or record of?"

"Anything is possible, Harry," Bob said, admonishment in his voice. "And I'd have to know more about their world and magic to answer that question. You said their magic felt different than ours, yes? It could be theoretically possible that something in their world could have caused the disconnect. But as I said," I swear he managed to shrug, "I'd have to know more first."

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. This was really shaping up to be a confusing one. "Well, take a look at this," I said, placing the belt of Beloth the Wise in front of him. "This belonged to the kid." I tugged on the tassel, revealing the hidden gems. "He had energy or something stored in these that he drew out. It's empty now.

"Fascinating," Bob mumbled under his breath. "The make up of gems and crystals has always been ideal for holding energy, but I always thought the energy moved naturally. I can see residual magic on here. It's vastly different from the magic used now, but at the same time incredibly similar." I'm pretty sure he forgot I was in the room as he continued to mutter to himself.

"Well, finish up with it soon," I told him. "I still have to show it to the captain."

"Hmm?" He looked up at me, seeming to only just now remember that I existed; I had been right. "Oh, right. Using this to explain away the power, eh? Nice. Won't have to hand over the kid and the dragon that way."

"That's the plan," I said. "Oh, and if you ever do meet them, remember; the dragon has a name. Her name is Saphira, and she's probably has more higher intelligence than most creatures I've met. Act nicely, or she'll eat you."

"Hmph," Bob snorted. "I'm a spirit in a skull; what could she do to me?"

"I dunno. Crush the skull and devour you out of spite? I have no idea how her magic works, and apparently, neither does she. So it's completely possible."

Bob paused for a moment. "Well that's a scary thought." Shaking himself, he turned back to the belt. "I'll keep looking at this, boss. Let you know if I think of anything."

I started to walk back upstairs before I remembered I still had a couple questions. "Hey, two things." Sighing, Bob looked up at me. "Is there anyone besides the Winter Knight who can use winter magic outside of the Nevernever?"

"Outside of illusions and minor spells, no. The Knights are the only beings who can wield any real power outside of the Nevernever."

"Well have you heard of anything that can use magic that's similar to winter magic?" I asked, feeling frustrated.

The sound of Bob's voice matched my frustration. I guess it wasn't often that a spirit of intellect didn't have the answers to something. "No," he said. "Fae magic is outside of anything any other creature can use."

"That's what I thought." If that was the case, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. My mind kept being drawn back to Eragon. The chances of it being connected to him were so miniscule they weren't even worth considering. But at the same time, what were the chances that two unknown presences would show up at the same time? I think it was time to summon Toot and get his opinion on this. He was neutral, connected to neither the winter nor summer courts, but he should have heard of something this major.

"Well, second thing then. Can you think of anywhere nearby to safely keep a dragon?"

"Yeah, I guess that's a bit of a problem," Bob conceded. "It's not like you can keep them in a warehouse or something. Someone's bound to notice, and you humans get a little touchy about things like that." He was silent for a moment, thinking. "Hey," he said finally. "What about that island in Lake Michigan? Demonreach."

"Huh, can't believe I didn't think of that. No one ever goes there, so there's no risk of some vanilla human running into them and scarring the pants off themselves. It's big enough and there's wildlife there for Saphira to hunt." Bob's lights lit up, no doubt happy that he finally had the answer to something. I didn't comment on that though. That would have just been mean.

I left Bob to his mutterings and headed upstairs to summon Toot. I called his true name quietly a couple times, and he was there pretty quickly. Ever since he had dubbed me the Pizza Lord and started Za-Lord's Guard, he was never too far away. When he appeared though he seemed nervous and overly cautious.

I laid out a slice of the pizza that had arrived just before I called him. Toot jumped on it hungrily. He always attacked the pizza ravenously, but there was almost a desperation to it this time. Something was definitely wrong. When he was finally full, his small stomach bulging with food, he turned to me. "What would Za-Lord have of me?"

"Have you heard any news from the winter court?" I asked. "Maybe someone using winter magi-" I was cut off as Toot flew into my face, covering my mouth with his hands, silencing me.

"Shh!" he hissed. "You can't speak of such things!"

"Toot," I said, pushing him away. "What's going on?"

"Things are dangerous now," he said after a moments hesitation, fidgeting. "There's something dangerous in the Unseelie Court. It's dangerous to even mention it. You may draw its attention."

"What can you tell me about it?" I asked softly.

"Nothing, Za-Lord, I'm sorry. He's more powerful and so different from anything I've seen. Stay out of his way, Za-Lord. Please, don't draw his attention." With those parting words the small faerie zipped off, presumably into hiding.

I sat back, thinking. I hadn't really been able to get much out of him. At least I knew that there was something new in the winter court now, which definitely didn't bode well for anyone. Whatever it was, it had terrified Toot to the point where the normally chatty little faerie could barely even speak of it. I would have to tell Murphy to be careful. She could easily stumble into something seriously dangerous.

But that would have to wait until I had a little more to give her. She definitely wouldn't be satisfied with just my telling her to be careful. So I decided to focus on a problem I could deal with. Sighing, I stood up and walked over to the phone. I hadn't spoken to him in a while, but if I wanted to get to Demonreach, I was going to need his help. So I picked up the phone and dialled his number. He picked up pretty quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Thomas."

"Hey," he replied easily. "How's it going, little brother?"

"It's been that kind of day," I said, running a hand down my face. I heard him laugh. Surely, it wasn't directed at me. "I need to borrow the Water Beetle."


	5. A Moment to Think

A/N: Yay! A (somewhat) timely update. And by 'timely,' I mean less than a year has passed since my last update. I have to say, I quite enjoyed doing this chapter. Some of my favourite things to write take place in the heads of characters, so it was nice to delve into Eragon's mind for a bit. And I'm sorry I couldn't come up with anything more original for his outfit. I just couldn't think of anything! I swear I'll put him in something better soon. Perhaps Thomas' sense of fashion will have its way with Eragon soon? We can all hope.

_Chapter Four: A Moment to Think_

As the man, Harry Dresden, left, Eragon finally allowed himself to feel the emotions roiling through him, the ones he had repressed and not allowed himself to deal with while in the presence of a stranger, though it took a day or two for them to surface. So far, Harry had seemed sincere, actually wanting to help him, but he had misjudged people before. Though Saphira's judgement never seemed to be quite as impaired. However, she seemed tolerant of him as well.

Eragon couldn't allow himself to fully trust this man yet. He couldn't even trust himself. Since he had become a Dragon Rider, Eragon had considered himself level headed, able to see problems from a place of calm. But this... this had shaken him to the point where he was unsure of everything happening around him.

There was too much happening at once; he couldn't figure out where to start. In his last battle, Galbatorix had bested him, undermining his confidence in his fighting ability. The last thing he remembered was feeling himself dying, but then he suddenly awoke in a cavern, somewhere completely different from where he fell. Then there was Harry, a man whose speech was different, whose clothing was different, who even felt different from anything he had encountered before, but was still decidedly human. Now he had finally figured out that not only was he somewhere different, he was some_time_ different as well.

The word just kept tumbling over and over in his mind; different, different, different...

He was starting to feel overwhelmed again. Eragon closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, hoping the discomfort would help him focus. Saphira, sensing his turmoil, allowed her soothing presence to wash over his mind. As she curled up behind him, he leaned back, feeling her cool blue scales shift through the fabric of his tattered shirt, and enjoyed the sensations that passed from her memories to his mind.

The first sensation was of wind rushing over them and the biting cold as they flew through the air, something they loved doing together. The freedom it granted them, the momentary escape from everything except the beating of Saphira's massive wings and the increasing difficulty to draw breath in the thinning air. It was one of the most wonderful things either of them had ever experienced. Then there was the more mundane; the bright sun heating their backs as they travelled. The cool flow of water, so much thicker than air, but still thin enough to fly through if they wanted. The softness of fresh grass or the reaffirming touch of hard scale and steel.

What made Eragon feel most at ease were the feelings Saphira was sharing with him. He could feel her calm confidence, her overwhelming love and faith in him, and her adamant belief that, no matter what, they would find a way to survive this.

"_Be at ease, young one,"_ she spoke to him finally. _"In the end, is this so different from when we set out from your uncle's farm with Brom, thrown into a world and dangers we did not at the time understand?"_

Opening his eyes finally, Eragon gazed at the crystals studding the walls of the cave. If you let your mind wander and your eyes unfocus, it was almost like you were watching the stars. _"It is vastly different,"_ he responded. _"Back then, at least I was in the same world. At the very least, I could see maps and know always where I was, and there was always someone to go back to. I had people I knew; friends, those I was responsible for. I had a purpose then!"_

"_And you have a purpose still."_ She swung her head around so that one eye was focusing on him, obscuring his view of the pseudo stars. _"It is our responsibility, as a dragon and rider, to protect the world we live in. We may be in a different world now, a different time, but the responsibility remains. No matter what, that duty shall always be ours."_

They were silent for a moment while Eragon pondered this. He knew what Saphira said was true, and for a moment, he felt resentment for how calm she could remain in this situation. The feeling was fleeting though; he could never feel anything other than love for her for long. _"You can always find a new map,"_ she told him eventually. _"I am sure Harry is bound to have one you can look at. And how many people did you meet on our journey that became as close to you as family? Could we not make the same connections here?" _Her mental voice was soothing, calming each of his fears.

After a moment, Eragon sighed, bumping his head lightly against Saphira's side. _"I know,"_ he told her. _"I know. It's just taking me a while to..."_ he paused, trying to think of the right word, but he could feel Saphira's understanding.

Distantly, they could hear the howling wind. The entrance to they cave they rested in was a ways off, hinting at the severity of the wind. Standing abruptly, Eragon headed outside. _"I want to go watch the storm,"_ he explained to Saphira. _"Perhaps see if I can't figure this place out a little more."_

With a soft rumble of agreement, she followed him. Closer to the entrance of the tunnel, it became quite a tight fit for Saphira, but she managed to make her way outside. Previously, the tunnel entrance had been nearly filled in by fallen rocks. Now the blue dragon had cleared a path, though enough remained of the rubble for Eragon to find a spot to sit. The wind ripped at the pitiful remnants of Eragon's clothing while Saphira made sure to keep her wings pressed tightly to her side lest the wind try to snatch them away.

Looking around, he could see that the frozen rock stretched for miles. In the distance, the spears of mountain tops pierced through the cloud veil, stretching from sight. With the raging storm, it was difficult to see very far, but he could still see the shape of the peaks through the snow. If he didn't allow himself to think too hard about it, he could believe he was resting in the high peaks of the Beor Mountains. However, when he stretched out his mind to interact with land around him, he suddenly remembered that this was somewhere completely different.

One of the first things he noticed was that the air tasted different. It wasn't very noticeable from where he was, at a higher altitude in the middle of a storm, but it tasted... thicker, perhaps, more cloying. It sat on his tongue, feeling almost gritty and leaving him with the need for a drink. And he had never felt temperatures this low before. Even being outside of the protection of the cave for a scant few minutes was becoming unbearable. The howling wind bit through his meagre clothing, feeling like it was scouring his skin. Already he could feel ice crystals forming in his hair.

"_Does something seem... off about this weather to you?"_ Eragon asked suddenly.

A slight rumbling from the dragon only furthered his unease. _"To me, yes, there seems to be something wrong here. This storm is tainted with a bitter flavour that I do not know._" She shook her head sadly. _"But I am too unfamiliar with this world. I cannot say."_

Eragon sighed, knowing she was right. No matter what his fears might be, he was in no position to know whether something was actually wrong or not. It pained him to admit it, but he was out of his depth.

Beside him, Saphira craned her neck and bumped him affectionately with her nose. _"It is always wise to admit when you can no longer handle what is in front of you and need aid. There is no shame in it."_

"_I just feel so helpless,"_ he responded, leaning against her.

"_Which is natural,"_ she stressed. Again they were silent, each with their own thoughts, though nothing secret from the other. They watched the driving wind and whirling snow as the world was blanketed in white.

"_It is time we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves,"_ Saphira declared finally. _"We are a dragon and rider I will not sit on my haunches pining for what could have been."_ Her fangs were bared now in a silent snarl.

Saphira's conviction finally began to stir something in Eragon. He started to feel a bit of the old drive that prompted him to join the Varden and fight against the Empire in the first place. He had nowhere to direct it now, but there had to be somewhere he could turn his efforts.

"_We will need help though,"_ Eragon finally admitted, and was surprised to find he felt no shame in saying it. _"What is your opinion on Harry Dresden?"_ he asked.

"_I wish to know more about him before I truly make my decision on him."_ She shifted where she sat, adjusting to a more comfortable position and causing some more loose rocks to tumble down the gentle slope of the mountain. _"I touched his mind when I first awoke, just as you did, and while I could not get in either, he seemed like a good person. Well,"_ she amended with a snort, _"a just person."_

Eragon nodded, agreeing with her assessment. _"His concern felt genuine as well,"_ he said with a smile. _"It may be a risk to trust him, but I think it is a risk we must take."_ He hesitated for a moment before adding the last bit. _"And there is something about him that feels familiar. I am not sure what it is, but it is there."_

"_Well, you shall have the chance to ask him soon,"_ she told her rider, motioning towards the snowy landscape below them where they could barely make out a figure moving through the storm. Even if he couldn't feel and recognize his mind, his mere presence left no doubt that it was Harry. No one else knew they were here, and he sincerely doubted someone would brave this location in a storm.

The boy stood and leaned against Saphira, drawing what warmth he could from the fire in her belly, as they waited for the man to approach. He had his large coat drawn close and was mumbling under his breath at the weather when he reached them.

"Can we go back in the cave?" he asked. "I don't know about you guys, but being in the cold for so long kinda does a number on me."

"Of course," Eragon said, turning back into the tunnel. "It is rather unpleasant out here, isn't it?" The two of them returned through the tunnel to the cave without any smalltalk with Saphira following close behind them. When they finally reached the small fire, which had nearly died in Eragon and Saphira's absence, Dresden tossed a large bag onto the ground.

"I brought some stuff I figured you'd need," he told Eragon, gesturing at the bag. "I found someplace you guys can stay for now, but you, Eragon, will probably have to interact with people, so you should probably dress properly."

Eragon looked down at the rags he was wearing and snorted. "Yes, I don't suppose these would be suitable, even if they were originally the proper style."

"Not quite," Dresden responded with a smile. "You seem to be doing a little better," he said hesitantly.

"I am," Eragon admitted, opening up the bag. "I just need to find something to focus on. For now, I guess it shall be fitting in."

As he rummaged through the bag, examining to contents, he felt the other man watching him. He didn't look up to try and read his expression, nor did he intrude on his mind, but he felt no threat in scrutiny. "I'm glad to hear it," the wizard said after a moment.

"What are these?" Eragon asked, looking at the clothing that was now spilling out of the bag.

"I grabbed some stuff from a friend of mine. He has a son about your age," Dresden explained. "It should fit you, I hope. Don't know if it's your style, or whatever, but it will have to do for now." He turned away to tend the fire as Eragon changed into his new clothing.

"I'm grateful you came back for us," the rider said suddenly as he pulled on a black shirt before reaching down to grab the last of the clothing; a faded green army jacket and a pair of black combat boots which he didn't bother tucking his beige cargo pants into, mostly because he never really thought of that as an option. He didn't even know what most of the clothing he was wearing was. He had had to get Harry to tell him that.

"Well I couldn't just leave you out here," Dresden told him. He actually sounded surprised that they would think he would do otherwise.

"But you could have," Eragon insisted, walking over and sitting by the fire. "So we thank you."

"Yeah, well," Harry scratched absently at the back of his head. "Maybe I'm in way over my head, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I just left you up here to fend for yourself."

"_I am sorry to interrupt, but where are we going to be hiding?"_ Saphira asked, making Dresden jump. He still wasn't used to having another voice in his head.

"She's right," Eragon said, tossing another stick on the fire. "We are both getting a little restless up here."

"Yeah, I bet," Dresden said, leaning back. "We can go after I explain a few things." He turned to them now, completely serious. "The place I'm taking you is called Demonreach Island. Now it's not as sinister as it sounds, but I'll admit, it's got a reason for the name."

"And what might that reason be?" Eragon asked, already beginning to feel cautious. Typically, it was never a good idea to go to a place with such a name. However, he would wait and hear Harry out.

"The island lies right on top of a dark Ley Line confluence. There's a spirit there that's extremely hostile to all human life." Dresden glanced up at Saphira then. "I don't know how it would react to you though. It usually leaves creatures alone, but the only things I've seen living on that island are your average wildlife, and the only other supernatural creature was attacking it."

"_That is... comforting,"_ Saphira said, though she didn't sound like she meant it. Eragon was watching him skeptically now.

"There is an upside," he insisted. "The spirit is, for lack of a better word, bound to me. I'm its master, so if I tell it to leave you guys alone, it will."

"_Binding yourself to a dark spirit is usually not a wise choice,"_ Saphira cautioned, a hint of steel in her voice. And Eragon couldn't help but agree. He had fought two Shades before, creatures that were once human possessed by evil spirits.

"It's not a dark spirit, per se," Harry sighed. "It's born of dark power, sure, but that doesn't make it evil. It's a nature spirit. If you have to slap a label on it, call it neutral."

Though still a little skeptical, Eragon said nothing. It wasn't his place to say what was right or wrong for this man to do, especially not knowing how the supernatural worked in this world. And it was true that not all spirits were evil. For those reasons, he held his tongue. "How far away is this place?" he asked instead, moving the conversation forward.

"It's a ways, almost two thousand miles," Harry said, no doubt grateful to be off the topic of the morality of his spirit binding. "But there's a path we can take that will take only a couple of hours."

"What sort of path?" Eragon asked. He was unfamiliar with a way to cross such a distance in a short amount of time.

"It's a Way through the Nevernever, or the spirit realm, if you will," he explained. Eragon nodded his understanding. While not entirely familiar with anything called "the Nevernever," he had heard rumours of something like a spirit realm. He had to admit though, that he didn't realize there was a way to travel there himself. "It would only take a few hours that way, though it can be dangerous. The place is filled with creatures who would love to have you for lunch just because they can."

"That sounds pleasant," Eragon said with a wry smile.

Saphira snorted beside him._ "The first thing that tries to eat us shall find themselves outmatched."_

Dresden let out a bark of laughter at that. "Yeah, the Way would probably be pretty safe with you around."

"Well, if that's the case," Eragon said as he stood and stretched. "Shall we get going?" The young rider was eager to get out of their cave. It already felt like he had spent an eternity there. Saphira, no doubt, shared his feelings. She became cranky whenever she was cut off from the sky for too long.

Reaching over, Dresden zipped up the bag before standing and slinging it over his shoulder. "I can't agree more," he said turning towards the entrance of the cave. "Time to get somewhere warmer."

Eragon followed the wizard through the tunnel back towards the driving snow, Saphira walking behind them. "You really don't like the cold, do you?" Eragon observed.

"Not in the slightest," Harry said, sounding almost petulant. "Me and the cold don't get along; never have. And of course Chicago is in the middle of a cold snap. How could it be that cold in Chicago anyway? It's just not fair."

Smiling, Eragon held back a chuckle. By this point, it seemed the other man was more or less just complaining aloud. The more he interacted with this man, the more he grew to like him. Yes, he questioned the brilliance behind binding a spirit, but he seemed like a good man. No matter what age you were in, that was a rarity.

"_I think I like this man,"_ Saphira said, mirroring his own thoughts. _"He seems very at ease, despite the strange situation we find ourselves in. And thus far, he has been true to his word."_

The small group stepped out into the snow now, and Eragon drew his new jacked closer around him. _"Let us hope that holds true."_

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Thankfully, they didn't have far to go. Even flying with Saphira, Eragon had never been quite this cold before. He hoped the place they were going truly was warmer than here, as Harry had said.

"Well, this is it," the wizard said suddenly and stopped. Eragon looked around, not seeing anything to distinguish this patch of snow from any others, other than the footprints slowly fading with the falling snow. Harry had fallen silent and seemed to be concentrating on something. The silence was broken when he finally muttered "_aparturum."_

Suddenly the air before them began to shimmer, as if distorted by a heat wave. Then the air itself ripped open, forming a tear large enough for even Saphira to fit through comfortably. On the other side of the tear the scenery was completely different. On the other side of the tear was another place neither Eragon nor Saphira had ever been before. On the other side of the tear was the Nevernever.


	6. Welcome to the Modern World

A/N: Well, next chapter is finally here. Don't know what finally got me over my latest slump, but voila. I always find Eragon's chapters easier to write so maybe the next chapter won't take too long. Anyways, enjoy!

_Chapter Five: Welcome to the Modern World_

Leading Eragon and Saphira through the Nevernever was an uneventful trip, unless you counted their awe and fascination as eventful. That was okay by me though; uneventful was good in the Nevernever. The only time things were eventful was when you had a fae creature trying to eat you for lunch. I had travelled the Way between Chicago and the mountain several times now, so I wasn't surprised we made it through with no trouble.

When I say the Way led to Chicago, I don't mean in the middle of a downtown street or anything. Another thing that I was grateful for. A person or two appearing suddenly wouldn't raise too many red flags. Though the tear in fabric of reality and suddenly seeing a grassy knoll in front of you in the middle of urban sprawl might draw a few stares. And even if people were oblivious enough to not notice that, which I sometimes think may be the case, I couldn't exactly explain away a mythical creature popping up out of nowhere.

No, the Way led to Calumet Park. While it was a pretty open place, it was the middle of the night when we arrived there, and there was no one around to see what was going on anyways. Another nice thing was that this park was along the shores of Lake Michigan, making it a simple matter to get to the water and make our way to Demonreach. The boy and the dragon both wanted to fly there. I couldn't exactly say no to a giant fire breathing creature and her companion, but I had to admit, I was a little apprehensive about this flight. I mean, other than the spikes running down the ridge of her spine, there was nothing to hold on to. And those spikes could really hurt a man where he lived.

We were standing in the park now while I closed the Way behind us and both Eragon and Saphira were rubbernecking. I couldn't even imagine how different things were for them here. They came from a pretty much medieval era right into the 21st century. Talk about culture shock. From here you could still hear the sounds of Chicago traffic. It may be the middle of the evening, but the city never rested. The street lamps, the concrete, I can't imagine either of them had seen anything like it before. You couldn't see the stars from here either, what with all the light pollution from city. Maybe we'd be able to see them once we got out over the lake, but it would be nothing like what we had seen in the mountains. Here, it was never truly dark.

"C'mon, guys," I called over my shoulder to them, snapping them out of their trance. "We should get moving before someone comes along and spots Saphira." I moved towards the edge of the lake then, looking around for a space large enough for Saphira to take flight. I didn't really know how much room she would need, but I figured she wouldn't need much more than her wingspan, which was admittedly hard to predict with her wings bunched against her sides.

"There's so much noise and light," Eragon murmured as he walked up beside me. I wouldn't say his face looked troubled right then. More like fascinated and bewildered. Saphira joined us then, standing tall and proud. I'm not really familiar with the body language of dragons, but she struck me then as a proud creature. Despite what I had told her about this era's beliefs, or lack thereof, in the supernatural, she would not hide herself more than absolutely necessary. I could respect that, I guess. She was magnificent.

Saphira crouched low then as Eragon approached her. She extended her leg, which the elf... human – I don't even know – boy used to propel himself up onto her back. He sat in a small depression just at the base of her neck. Eragon seemed so at ease astride Saphira, more so than at any other time since I'd found him in the mountains. He knew he belonged up there.

The boy gripped the spine in front of him and leaned down, extending his hand to me. "I don't have a saddle right now," he told me, "but if we stay at a low altitude you'll be in no danger of falling off." Swallowing the lump that had mysteriously formed in my throat, I gripped his hand with my own shaking one. I must have still been feeling the after effects of the mountain weather. Stupid cold.

With surprising strength, Eragon hoisted me up onto Saphira's back behind him. Sure, he was well muscled, and by the way he wore the sword that was still at his hip, he was all too familiar with fighting, but I never would have pegged him to have that kind of strength. He had lifted me like I was made of paper, and I'm no lightweight.

"Hold the spine in front of you," Eragon called over his shoulder. "And hold onto her with your legs."

"How dangerous is this?" I asked him, proud at how little tremor there was in my voice.

Eragon paused before answering. "From what you said, we shouldn't be in the air for too long, and as I said, we'll be flying low, so you don't have to worry about falling off. The only issue may be that we have no saddle. The first time I flew without a saddle, my legs were rubbed raw and bloody."

This was so not helping. I was just about to voice that opinion out loud when Saphira crouched low again, spread her wings, and with a powerful jump and down stroke, we were airborne. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew there would be giant scores in the ground from Saphira's claws, but I just had to hope the cops that would look into it were stupid enough to chalk it up to vandalism.

By this point, the rest of my mind was occupied with the fact that I was racing over Lake Michigan on the back of a freaking dragon. A dragon! It was then that I officially decided I was out of my depth here. But it wasn't like there was much I could do about that at this point. At the speed we were going, if I decided "To hell with it" and threw myself off her back, I'd go skipping across the lake like an oversized rock. It wasn't the most appealing of ideas.

Now that we were further away from the city, all I could hear was the rushing wind and the sound of Saphira's wings propelling us through the air. It may have even been relaxing if I hadn't been so, um, preoccupied with the fact that we were flying. Not that I was scared or anything. Nope, terror definitely was not what I was feeling.

I couldn't see his face since his back was to me, but the set of Eragon's shoulders had relaxed immensely. I guess they were able to fly a lot more often in their own world where the sight of a dragon wouldn't cause claims of mass hallucinations. Saphira still seemed focused on her own thoughts, but who could tell with a dragon.

After a while Eragon called over his shoulder to ask how close we were to Demonreach Island. I told him it shouldn't be much further, but I wasn't used to navigating from dragon back, so I couldn't say for sure. We would just have to hope my imaginary luck held.

And, miracle of all miracles, it did. It wasn't another five minutes before we saw the island begin to emerge in the distance. Not a moment too soon, if you asked me. I was freezing again from the wind, my legs were becoming sore from gripping Saphira's sides, – though I had yet to notice any real pain, just discomfort – and my stomach couldn't decide if it wanted to stay where it was or set up shop in my throat. At this point, as long as it kept still I was fine with either option.

We set down on the dock leading to Demonreach. Thankfully Thomas and I had been working on it for a while, so it was able to hold Saphira's weight. As it was, it still creaked under her massive claws. Eragon slid down her back and I followed closely behind. The difference between the two of us is that while Eragon landed on his feet, mine somehow failed me and I landed on my ass. Which was fine by me, really. I liked the ground. The safe, sturdy, unmoving ground.

"Yes, that can often happen when you fly for the first time," Eragon said, reaching a hand down to him, a smile in his voice. I took his hand and he helped me to my feet. I admit I had to brace my hands on my knees and take a few deep breaths before I was ready to move again. Flying on the back of a dragon was... something else. And not something I would really want to do again as long as I lived.

When I looked up, I saw Eragon about to set foot on the island. The dock wasn't really attached to the island so Demonreach had no awareness of what was on it, but as soon as the boy's foot touched the earth on the island, the spirit would know. And it would react.

I could tell the moment Eragon walked onto the island. He doubled over, landing on his knees, head bent and held between his hands as Demonreach invaded his mind. Saphira crouched low, wings spread and fire licking at her teeth as she hissed, a roar forming in her throat. The dragon was looking for something to attack, to make the pain her companion felt stop. For his part, the boy was holding his own remarkably well. I could see the grimace of pain etched on his face as he fought the invasion into his mind, trying to hold the alien presence at bay. But nothing could stop Demonreach for long.

Putting one foot in front of the other was still a little difficult, but I managed to stumble my way onto the island. "Stop!" I shouted at the spirit, both out loud and in my mind. "He's with me!" When Demonreach's assault continued, I poured some of my will into my words. "I said _STOP!_" Finally, the grimace of pain slowly left Eragon's face. He was a little short on breath but otherwise seemed okay. It took a little while longer for Saphira to calm down, though.

"_Your demon is dangerous,"_ she hissed into my mind. _"You should never have brought us here, Shade."_ The way she spat the last word made it clear it was meant as an insult. Obviously, a shade was something quite different where they came from.

Moving seemed like a bad idea right about then. I couldn't be sure, but Saphira looked about ready to devour me. But she didn't move. Nor, I noticed, did Eragon. Silence reigned for a while and I guessed the two of them were having a private conversation. After a tense few moments, the dragon lowered her wings and rose from her crouch. She still didn't seem happy with me, but she didn't look ready to eat me either.

"_Eragon has convinced me to spare you for now,"_ she told me, in what I would guess to be a one-on-one conversation. _"But do not expect such mercy from me a second time."_ She turned away then, walking onto the island. Thankfully, Demonreach did not attack this time. Eragon stood then and turned to me.

"Sorry, kid," I said, scratching the back of my head. "I should have warned you more about what would happen."

"No, you told me enough," he replied. "I should have readied myself more." The boy was breathing normally now, though he was still a little pale.

"Well, either way, welcome to Demonreach." I walked further onto the island, Eragon following close behind me. Saphira was ahead of us, allowing her anger to dissipate, I imagined. "There isn't much here," I continued. "There was an old building at the top of the hill here which I've rebuilt with a little help, but other than that, all it is is wildlife."

"I have stayed everywhere from farmhouses to castles to dungeons," he replied. "Whatever the arrangements, they will suite us just fine."

"Hold off on saying that until you've actually seen the place," I laughed. We travelled up the hill to the old lighthouse, and sure enough, they were both fine with the accommodations. Saphira was still silent, now lying down in the clearing in front of the buildings. I got the feeling she was watching me closely. That wasn't unnerving or anything.

It wasn't long before the dragon turned her head towards the lake, something catching her attention. _"Someone approaches the island,"_ she said to us.

"About time," I muttered as the three of us headed down the hill towards the dock. "He's a... friend," I told them. "I've been expecting him."

Thomas pulled up then on the Water Beetle. He vaulted over the side easily, tying his boat to the dock. When he started up the dock towards us, he stopped. No doubt he had just spotted Saphira. "Man, you weren't kidding, Harry." He looked both Saphira and Eragon up and down. "A dragon and an elf; sounds like a movie."

"That's what I said!" I told him, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw Eragon go for his sword. "Hey, kid," I said, turning to him. "What's..."

"What are you?" Eragon demanded. "You are no human." Behind him, Saphira bared her teeth in a snarl, the moonlight glinting off her horns.

"Whoa," Thomas remarked, holding up his hands and backing up a step. "Why the sudden hostilities. I haven't even done anything." He paused. "This time."

"Eragon," I cautioned, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I told you, he's a friend. He's here to help us out."

"_Your friend is not natural. He should not be trusted."_ Saphira's voice was like a hot wind in my mind, her distrust and caution tinging her words.

"Your friend isn't human," Eragon said to me, though he kept his eyes on Thomas. "There is something evil in him, lurking in his mind. I can feel it."

"Harry," Thomas called over. "What's with this kid? Tell him to take his hand off his sword." My brother was a good man at heart, no matter how often he said otherwise, but even from here I could see his eyes becoming pale, the lines of his face becoming more defined. His hands lay easy at his sides, supposedly at rest, but I knew how quickly they could move to the sword at his hip or the gun at his back. He wouldn't allow anyone to attack him, even if I had already vouched for them.

I quickly took a step between the two of them. "Alright, everyone needs to take a step back. Thomas," I said, looking over at him. "You need to calm down. And Eragon." I turned back to the boy now. "I already told you, he's here to help us."

"But he's..."

"He's my brother," I cut him off. "Sure, he's a little on the..." I looked over at Thomas, who shrugged, "non-human side, but he's family and we can trust him."

"_You are kin to a non-human?"_ Saphira asked, understandably confused.

"Half brothers, technically," Thomas supplied. "Now can you guys put your weapons away? I'd hate for our first meeting to end bloody. Besides, this is a new shirt."

There was a moment of tense silence while everyone decided on their course of action before Eragon removed his hand from his sword and Saphira quit snarling. "I am sorry," Eragon told Thomas, offering him a slight bow. "We are still on edge and learning the ways of this world." I wasn't a fool. I didn't think Eragon would trust Thomas completely, not for a while. But as long as everybody was civil, I could live with that.

As for my brother, his eyes had returned to their normal grey and his posture had become truly relaxed, not I-am-confident-I'm-about-to-stab-you relaxed. "No harm no foul," he shrugged. He walked up to us finally and offered his hand to the boy. "I'm Thomas Raith." He looked Eragon up and down again. "And I have to ask, who dressed you?"

"I did," I responded, a little haughtily.

"Oh, Harry." He gave me his typical look then. The one that said he well and truly pitied me. It was a look I was used to.

"I am Eragon Bromsson," Eragon replied in turn to Thomas, ignoring me completely. He offered my brother a slight bow. "And this," he continued with a gesture behind him, "is Saphira Bjartskular." After a moment's pause, Saphira also lowered her head in greeting.

"Charmed," Thomas replied, still focused on Saphira, or, more precisely, her large teeth. "I have to say, Harry," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Knowing you is never boring."

"I occasionally think that boring would be nice every now and then," I sighed in return. He was right though. How did I always manage to find myself in these types of situations? I was like a walking, talking disaster magnet or something. I would have to ask Bob if that was actually a thing.

Speaking of...

"Now that introductions are over, I think it's time we headed back to the city." I turned to Eragon and Saphira then. "I want you to come with me, Eragon. There's someone I want you to talk to. He may be able to help us figure out a few things. Unfortunately, you're gonna have to stay here, Saphira." She made an unhappy rumbling noise in her chest but agreed.

"_Just remember," _Saphira said into my mind. _"No harm shall come to him."_ She didn't say anything other than that. She didn't need to. I understood her threat perfectly well.

I also, apparently, didn't have to answer, as she turned from us, spread her wings, and sprang into the sky. "She always reacts this way when he have to separate," Eragon explained as she landed at the top of the hill near the lighthouse. I noticed that he didn't apologize for her though. I guess he felt he didn't have to.

"As long as she doesn't hold a grudge," I muttered before making my way towards the Water Beetle with Thomas and the kid close behind.

Other than being a little fascinated with the engine, the ride back to Chicago didn't seem to shock Eragon that much. Once the city's skyline came into site though, Eragon couldn't tear his eyes away. Standing right in the middle of it, like we had in Calumet Park was one thing, but to see it from a distance, to take in everything at once, was another thing entirely.

It was rather impressive, I had to admit. The skyline stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see. To someone who was used to a much simpler world, it must have looked like something out of a dream. Or maybe a nightmare.

We had docked the boat and were heading towards Thomas' car, an obviously expensive and high-tech thing and the only vehicle in the lot, when he suddenly stopped and turned to me. "He's not going to do the same thing to my car that you do, is he?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure my car could handle the bad tech mojo if it was just you, Harry, but two people at once?"

It was a valid question, and one I didn't even know the answer to. A normal wizard could mess up technology just by sneezing at it, but I had no idea how it would react to Eragon. Everything could function perfectly normal around him. Or we could be in for a nice, big explosion.

"I guess we'll find out," was all I said to my brother before I continued on to his car. I heard him sigh dramatically behind me before he unlocked the doors. I saw the kid jump out of the corner of my eye at the beeping noise the car made when its locks were disengaged. We were in for an interesting ride.

Eragon had kept mostly silent for the ride back to my apartment. He'd asked a question or two, but for the most part had been content to observe. The kid had attempted to put his seat belt on himself after we had explained what it was, and the resulting knot had caused Thomas to double over in laughter.

When we got back to my place, we had a wait a moment for me to deactivate my wards. Thomas could get in with no problems, but Eragon would get fried if I didn't turn them off. A few words and a brief moment later and we were through the door.

Mouse immediately ran up to Thomas to say hello. The two had always been close. Once my dog spotted Eragon, though, he ran right up to the kid. Maybe it was the reassurance of seeing something familiar again in an unfamiliar world, but I saw Eragon's shoulders relax and a smile crease his face as he bent to greet him. "It is good to see you again," he said, scratching Mouse behind the ear. Mouse planted a big slobbery kiss on Eragon's cheek in return, which earned a laugh from all present.

"Okay," I said, drawing everyone's attention back from Mouse. "I think it's time we introduced the kid to Bob."

Eragon turned to me, not familiar with that name. "Who is Bob?" he asked.

"Oh, you'll see," Thomas answered with a chuckle.

"He's a spirit," I said, shooting Thomas a look. "And he should be able to help us."

The three of us walked over to the door to the sub-basement and headed down the stairs. Bob started calling to us before we had even made it all the way down. "Hey, boss, did you bring them? Well, maybe not the dragon. She'd be a little hard to fit in your dinky little apartment, but I'm your best hope for answers here and-"

"Enough, Bob," I cut him off. "He's here, and his name is Eragon. Be nice." I walked all the way into the lab, moving to the side so Eragon could stand front and centre in front of Bob.

"It's a talking skull... I am about to have a conversation with a talking skull..." The poor kid sounded so bemused. It was better than terrified, at least.

"And you," Bob said with interest, "are a talking mystery."

"Bob's a spirit of intellect," I explained for Eragon's benefit. "He knows more about the laws of magic and nature than anyone I've ever met. If anyone's gonna be able to help us find answers, it will be him." I swear I saw Bob straighten himself on the shelf and his eyes shone a little brighter with the praise. I would give it to him this time. I needed him to focus and this was the best way to make that happen. "I want him to ask you a few questions, if you're up to it."

Eragon's answer was immediate. "As long as I can ask some in return."

"Fair enough," I said, nodding. "Tell him what he wants to know, Bob. We'll be upstairs." I walked back up the stairs with Thomas, closing the door behind us. The kid would be fine down there alone, and I wanted a chance to talk to Thomas privately.

He flopped down on my old beat up couch, and Mouse immediately joined him there, while I sat in my chair. "Elves and dragons magically appearing in the mountains," he sighed. "What the hell, little brother?"

"I know," I said, rubbing my face. "I'm in way over my head here. The Wardens want to know what's going on, but I can't bring myself to turn the kid in to them. Who knows what the Merlin would do if he got his hands on him. Not to mention Murph has me helping her on a case, and I have no idea how to help her with it."

"What does she need your help with?" he asked.

I saw no harm in telling him, so I did. And I trusted him as much as I trusted Karrin. "They found a body. It looked like someone had frozen him then went at him with a hammer." I shook my head. "I know it was magic, but I can't figure out what type. It almost feels like winter magic, but that's not even possible."

Thomas perked up at the mention of the Winter Court. I remembered then how worried Toot had been when I'd tried to talk to him about it. Being part of the White Court, maybe Thomas had heard something about what was going on. "Have you heard anything about the Winter Court?" I asked. "The fae I asked wouldn't tell me anything, but it seemed something was up."

He was silent for a moment before he answered. "Something's had Lara on edge lately," he said carefully. "I haven't been told anything official, but I've been hearing more and more mention of the Unseelie Court."

"Anything in particular?" I asked, leaning forwards.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "Just mutterings about how they're becoming bolder and more powerful."

"Great," I said, flopping back. "That's all we need; supercharged Winter Sidhe."

We lapsed into silence for a little bit, each of us with our own thoughts. I saw Thomas glance over to the door to my lab. "How's the boy doing?" he asked suddenly.

"Better than I would be," I snorted. "I would probably be curled up in a ball in the corner at this point." I also looked over at the door then. "I just hope this keeps up. The kids powerful. Like, really powerful. And his magic is different than anything we've seen. I wouldn't even know where to begin to defend against it."

"Well," Thomas said, standing up suddenly. He walked over to me and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm trusting you to keep him on the rails then. I need to head back now. And before you ask, I'll see if I can't dig anything up on what the Winter Court is doing."

"Thanks," I said with a small smile, though I wasn't feeling particularly happy right now. More just tired.

When he reached the door, Thomas turned back to me with a look of genuine concern on his face. "Watch yourself, little brother. You have a habit of finding yourself in the middle of the of some pretty bad stuff. If anything comes up, give me a call."

He didn't wait for my answer. When the door closed behind him, I decided it was best if I rested for a minute. There was nothing I could do until either Thomas found something out about what had the White Court on edge or until Bob was done talking to Eragon.

Even so, I felt pathetic for just sitting there. If nothing else, I should be looking into Murphy's case, but the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced it had something to do with the Winter Court. Which was impossible.

I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew I was jolted awake by the sound of my phone ringing. A quick glance up at the small window showed that it was still dark out, but the first tinges of morning were starting to show. Standing up, I answered the phone with a yawn

"Dresden," came the reply from the other end. Murphy, of course. Who else would call at this time of day?

"Murphy. A little early for a social call. Or late, depending."

"We've got another body," she said, confirming this was indeed not a social call. Go figure. I never get social calls. "How quickly can you get here?"

"I'll be there within half an hour," I told her before hanging up. She had already disconnected by the time I returned the phone to its cradle. I was about to head out the door when I remembered Eragon, still down in the lab with Bob. Right about then I had a stupid idea. And since when do I not go with my stupid ideas?

I walked over to the trap door and hauled it open. "Hey, kid," I called down. "Feel like going for a drive?"


End file.
